Empowering Healthy Kids Blog

Interesting interactive exhibit at the Merrimack Valley YMCA:

Nearly 30 kids excitedly hopped along floppy, foldable grids laid out along the gym floor as an image of NBA star Jason Kidd boomed instructions on a digital projector stretching along the back wall.

This is exercise for children in the 21st century.

The children were demonstrating the Merrimack Valley YMCA’s new multimedia training system, called HOPSports. The interactive workout plan for kids, which became part of the after-school program at the Y a few months ago, was as fun as all the hype, said Jordan Clements of Andover, an 8-year-old in a hurry.

“Go, go, go,” Clements told the kids in front of her on the hopscotch grid. “I love to hop.”

Royal Philips Electronics of Andover recently partnered with HOPSports, a company that makes gym equipment with digitally recorded instruction by professional athletes, to provide the $18,000 training system to the YMCA free of charge. The companies donated the training system to promote good health in the community.

The training system, which the Merrimack Valley YMCA plans to eventually share with other area YMCAs, comes equipped with 90 pre-recorded interactive lessons by professional athletes that incorporate the hopscotch squares, stability balls, jump ropes and stretch bands to promote physical activity, nutrition and wellness.

“This drill works on their agility as well as their cardio,” said Amy Quinlan, a trainer at the YMCA, referring to the hopscotch workout. “It’s a foot drill that helps their coordination.”

Customized for today’s new media-savvy and often sedentary kids, the system, released in 2003, is visually interactive yet intensive, focusing on the importance of skills-based activity while providing valuable information on nutrition, anti-smoking and other topics.

Photo here.

This entry (Permalink) was posted on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 at 7:42 pm and is filed under usa, getting active. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.